Cooperatives are the "nucleus" that helps Thanh Hoa agricultural products go far.

Thanh Hoa is the province with the third largest number of agricultural cooperatives in the country. It can be said that the collective economy plays a very important role in the economic and social development of this locality. Not only contributing to creating jobs and increasing income for people in remote areas, cooperatives are also the "nucleus" helping Thanh Hoa's agricultural products to reach further.

Digitalization to reach the market

One of Thanh Hoa's bright spots is bringing technology and e-commerce into agriculture . The provincial Cooperative Union coordinates with departments and branches to organize digital skills training, helping cooperative officials and farmer members know how to use social networks and e-commerce platforms to promote products.

Thanks to that, many remote cooperatives such as Yen Thang Cooperative, Muong Ly Agricultural Service Cooperative, Quan Son Clean Agricultural Products Cooperative... have sold products online and received orders from Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City, and even exported through intermediaries. This is an important step to help remote farmers reduce their dependence on traders and increase their stable income.

Changes in agricultural production are the key to poverty reduction in Thanh Hoa . Photo: Thu Thuy

The “One Commune One Product” (OCOP) program is also considered a launching pad for many cooperatives to affirm their position. Thanh Hoa is currently in the top of the country in terms of the number of OCOP products, just behind Hanoi and Nghe An.

Cooperatives not only produce OCOP products but also support farmers in production linkages, develop raw material areas, ensure traceability, and increase economic value. In particular, many cooperatives have received support from the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance in machinery, drying technology, packaging, and deep processing, helping products meet export standards.

Vice Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Province Cooperative Union Le Hong Hai said that cooperatives in remote areas are not only doing a good job in production but also becoming a bridge to help agricultural products and key products reach domestic and foreign markets. This is an effective way for people to escape poverty with their own internal resources.

In Yen Thang commune, Yen Thang Agricultural Service Cooperative, with Ms. Ha Thi Xem as Director, is a typical example. From a small-scale production, the Cooperative has now brought Muong Deng Mac Khen salt products to 3-star OCOP standards, and at the same time supported the consumption of dozens of highland specialties such as dried bamboo shoots, Co Lung duck, and smoked meat.

In particular, Yen Thang Cooperative has boldly applied digital technology to bring products to e-commerce platforms, bringing positive results, contributing to job creation, increasing income for members, and contributing to accelerating poverty reduction in the locality.

Strive to increase both quality and quantity

In the 2026 plan for collective economic and cooperative development, the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province set a goal of establishing 25 new cooperatives with an average revenue of more than 7.6 billion VND per year.

Not stopping at numbers, this plan demonstrates the province's determination to develop a cooperative economic sector that is diverse in scale, field and scope of operation, with special attention to new-style cooperatives, associated with OCOP product production and sustainable value chains.

By 2025, Thanh Hoa province will have more than 1,348 cooperatives in operation, of which 810 cooperatives are evaluated as effective, accounting for more than 60%. The total number of regular employees in cooperatives will reach 41,150 people, with an average income of 52 million VND/year, demonstrating the role of the cooperative sector in creating jobs, improving lives and sustainably reducing poverty. The Vietnam Cooperative Alliance, together with Thanh Hoa authorities at all levels, are gradually transforming farmers' production thinking, from "doing business individually" to "linking - cooperating - developing". That is the key to helping the province not only reduce poverty but also reach the goal of building ecological agriculture, modern countryside, and civilized farmers.

With these synchronous efforts, Thanh Hoa is proving that cooperatives are not only an economic model, but also a “companion” of farmers on the journey to escape poverty and become rich sustainably. Therefore, Thanh Hoa is encouraging cooperatives and small businesses to participate in international fairs, seek partners, and expand markets. Along with that, the province continues to support preferential loans, train human resources, and transfer technology so that cooperatives can boldly invest in deep processing.

In the coming time, Thanh Hoa strives to increase 25 new cooperatives each year, attract 5,000 more members, and increase the average revenue of each cooperative to 8 billion VND/year. The goal is not only to increase quantity but more importantly to improve the quality of operations, linking cooperative development with poverty reduction and rural economic development.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/hop-tac-xa-la-hat-nhan-giup-nong-san-xu-thanh-vuon-xa-10397897.html